FIFA 17 | Best cheap high potential centre backs

In these articles I look at the best cheap, high potential players in FIFA 17, with tonight’s post focusing on centre backs. I’ll go through a few recommendations, then show you the full list of top quality players afterwards. For a full run down of how I choose the players and what the different columns in the table mean, click on “What are these articles all about?” below.

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The articles in this series should give you some ideas if you’re looking for a new signing in a key area. There is one article for each position on the pitch to make it easy for you to quickly find players to bolster your squad.

All of the players given here have a minimum potential of 80, so you know you’re getting quality. The maximum OVR for each player is 75, both to keep transfer prices down and to avoid presenting you with too many options and thus making it too difficult to choose the player you need.

The ‘Avai?’ column is short for ‘available?’ and refers both to whether or not you can buy the specified player at the start of the first season and how long their current contract is. Let’s take Y/2 as an example – Y means that yes, you can buy him at the start of a new career, and the number means he has two years left on his contract. Similarly, N/3 would mean that no, you can’t buy the player straight away, and he has three years left on his contract. These ‘no’ players are often available for transfer if you wait until the January transfer window, however. For some players this column is blank – this means that they are out on loan at the start and are therefore unavailable for purchase until the second season.

The figure in the player cost column refers to the price you are given if you scout the player. There’s also another column – ‘Enquiry’. This refers to the price the other team want for the player if you enquire about him. Often there is a large difference between the player cost obtained through scouting and that obtained through an enquiry. This leaves a lot of room for negotiation, so don’t be put off if a price in the ‘Enquiry’ column is high, as you can usually get the player for much less. Try bidding lower than what you think will be accepted – you may be surprised at their response. If the ‘Enquiry’ column is blank it’s because the team refused to give a price, either because the player has just joined them or because they are loaning him in.

And as a final note, in FIFA 17 EA update player OVRs and potentials every week. Mose of the time these are very minor changes, and most players won’t be affected at all unless they have had a very noteworthy week. Furthermore, some players occasionally disappear if they have been put in the reserve squad that week. So just bear in mind that these figures should be read as a guide only and not a definitive account of player costs, potentials, etc, for the entire season.[/expand]

So without further ado, let’s see the cheap young centre backs that I recommend.

Reece Oxford: potential 86

Reece Oxford is a very xanax cost promising player who won’t cost a lot

Reece Oxford of West Ham is my first pick because it’s so rare to get a player with 86 potential for just £1-2m. While he’s not the strongest at the start, he’s tall and has excellent pace for a centre back, so can deal with threats that way. His physicals will develop nicely as he grows, and his potential will make him one of the best defenders in the game. If you want a high potential player without breaking the bank, he’s a great option.

West Ham want £1.7m for him, but you only have to pay around £900,000. His wages are £9,400.

Issa Diop: potential 85

Issa Diop is a powerful centre back with great potential

I covered Issa Diop of Toulouse in a Cheap Beasts article in August, and since then he’s become even more beastly. He’s only 19 but already has 86 strength and 85 jumping, and his heading will make him a danger from corners. His defensive stats are excellent too – 73 marking, 75 stand tackle and 78 slide tackle will make him very hard to beat. He’s a defensive tank and with 85 potential will grow to be even better.

Toulouse want you to pay £6.5m for him, but that can be brought right down to £3.9m. His wages are £11,500. That’s a great price for such a powerful player.

Ivan Ordets: potential 81

Ivan Ordets is pacey and powerful, making him a great centre back

It’s not often that you manage to find a centre back who is strong and fast, but that’s exactly what you get with Ivan Ordets of Shakhtar Donetsk. He’s big and strong, standing at 6’4” and with 88 strength, but he’s got 78 sprint speed too. That means he’s more able to deal with threats than a slower centre back would be able to, and those stats get even better as he grows.

He’s technically very good too – he’ll score plenty of headers, and his tackling stats are very strong. He’s a great all-round option who excels physically and technically.

Shakhtar ask for £6.5m for him, but you can get him for £4.1m. His wages are £18,000.

Axel Tuanzebe: potential 81

Axel Tuanzebe is a great budget option if you’re a lower league team

It was really hard to choose between Axel Tuanzebe of Manchester United guy and Oxford, and in the end I went for both. That’s because while Oxford has higher potential, Tuanzebe has better starting stats and is cheaper. Like Oxford, he’s fast, but he’s also got decent strength as well. His defensive stats are all equally good, and he’s decent in the air too thanks to his 77 jumping. If you want a fantastic all-rounder but can’t afford to buy Ordets, Tuanzebe is a great alternative.

Manchester United want just £850,000 for him, but you only have to pay around £700,000. His wages are £21,000.

Now here are the other cheap, high potential centre backs in FIFA 17:

Pos

Name

OVR

Pot.

Age

Cost (£)

Enquiry (£)

Wages (£)

Club

Avai?

Foot

Weak foot

Skills

Traits

Notes

CB

Reece Oxford

66

86

17

900,000

1,700,000

9,400

West Ham

Y/3

Right

3

2

CB

Lucas Hernández

75

86

20

5,500,000

8,000,000

26,000

Atlético Madrid

Y/4

Left

3

2

Long passer, power header

CB

Jesús Vallejo

73

85

19

3,500,000

*

9,800

Frankfurt

-

Right

3

2

On loan from Real Madrid

CB

Issa Diop

74

85

19

3,900,000

6,500,000

11,500

Toulouse FC

Y/4

Right

3

2

Strength

CB

Mamadou Doucouré

62

84

18

475,000

-

2,500

Mönchengladbach

N/5

Left

3

2

CB

Malang Sarr

70

84

17

1,900,000

-

8,800

OGC Nice

N/4

Left

4

2

CB

Nico Elvedi

72

84

19

2,600,000

3,400,000

9,300

Mönchengladbach

Y/3

Right

3

2

CB

Presnel Kimpembe

73

84

20

3,700,000

6,500,000

36,500

Paris

Y/2

Left

2

2

CB

Davinson Sánchez

73

84

20

3,700,000

-

9,400

Ajax

N/5

Right

3

2

CB

Jason Denayer

74

84

21

4,100,000

*

22,000

Sunderland

-

Right

3

2

On loan from Manchester City

CB

Niklas Stark

75

84

21

4,700,000

8,000,000

15,500

Berlin

Y/3

Right

3

2

CB

Matthijs de Ligt

63

83

16

475,000

825,000

1,275

Ajax

Y/2

Right

4

2

Power header

CB

Çağlar Söyüncü

69

83

20

1,700,000

-

8,500

SC Freiburg

N/5

Right

3

2

CB

Chidozie Awaziem

72

83

19

2,500,000

4,300,000

5,300

FC Porto

Y/4

Right

3

2

CB

César Montes

73

83

19

3,100,000

6,000,000

19,500

Monterrey

Y/7

Right

3

2

CB

Matt Miazga

73

83

20

3,500,000

-

7,500

Vitesse

N/4

Right

3

2

CB

Clément Lenglet

74

83

21

3,900,000

6,500,000

11,500

ASNL

Y/3

Left

4

2

CB

Yerry Mina

74

83

21

3,900,000

Right

2

2

Strength, power header

Free agent

CB

Wallace

75

83

21

4,500,000

-

24,500

Lazio

N/5

Right

2

2

CB

Jérémy Gélin

63

82

19

525,000

975,000

2,900

Stade Rennais

Y/3

Right

3

2

CB

Dael Fry

64

82

18

650,000

*

1,700

Rotherham Utd

-

Right

3

2

On loan from Middlesbrough

CB

Rick van Drongelen

65

82

17

775,000

1,300,000

1,400

Sparta Rotterdam

Y/3

Left

4

2

Long passer

CB

Benjamín Kuscevic

67

82

20

1,200,000

2,000,000

2,900

Uni. Católica

Y/2

Right

3

2

CB

Rivaldo Coetzee

69

82

19

1,400,000

Right

4

2

Free agent

CB

Olivier Boscagli

70

82

18

1,500,000

2,000,000

8800,

OGC Nice

Y/7

Left

4

2

CB

Emanuel Mammana

69

82

20

1,500,000

-

12,000

OL-Lyon

N/5

Right

2

2

CB

Rober Pier

70

82

21

1,800,000

*

5,100

UD Levante

-

Right

3

2

On loan from RC Deportivo

CB

Jeremiah St. Juste

72

82

19

2,300,000

3,700,000

3,400

SC Heerenveen

Y/2

Right

3

2

CB

Marlon Santos

72

82

20

2,600,000

*

46,000

FC Barcelona

-

Right

3

2

On loan from Fluminense

CB

David García

74

82

22

3,700,000

6,000,000

15,500

CA Osasuna

Y/3

Right

3

2

CB

Tomáš Kalas

74

82

23

3,700,000

*

19,000

Fulham

-

Right

3

2

On loan from Chelsea

CB

Michael Keane

75

82

23

4,200,000

6,500,000

24,500

Burnley

Y/2

Right

3

2

Power header

CB

Ahmet Çalık

75

82

22

4,200,000

7,000,000

12,500

Gençlerbirliği

Y/5

Right

4

2

CB

Diego Carlos

75

82

23

4,200,000

-

18,500

FC Nantes

N/5

Right

4

2

CB

Cameron Humphreys-Grant

61

81

17

325,000

600,000

7,100

Manchester City

Y/2

Right

2

2

CB

Vahid Selimovic

63

81

19

525,000

-

1,500

FC Metz

N/3

Right

2

2

CB

Jorge Sáenz

66

81

19

975,000

1,400,000

1,063

CD Tenerife

Y/2

Right

3

2

CB

Axel Tuanzebe

67

81

18

1,100,000

850,000

21,000

Manchester Utd

Y/1

Right

2

2

CB

Fabrizio Buschiazzo

67

81

19

1,100,000

2,100,000

3,200

Defensa

Y/3

Right

3

2

CB

Branimir Kalaica

68

81

18

1,100,000

-

3,200

SL Benfica

N/6

Right

2

2

CB

Timo Baumgartl

69

81

20

1,400,000

2,200,000

8,200

Stuttgart

Y/4

Right

3

2

CB

Jherson Vergara

69

81

22

1,400,000

*

11,500

Arsenal Tula

-

Right

2

2

On loan from Milan

CB

Duje Ćaleta-Car

70

81

19

1,600,000

2,900,000

8,900

RB Salzburg

Y/4

Right

3

2

CB

Philipe Sampaio

70

81

21

1,700,000

2,600,000

4,000

Boavista

Y/1

Right

2

2

Strength

CB

Borja López

71

81

22

2,000,000

-

52,000

FC Barcelona

N/2

Left

3

2

Strength

CB

Jorge Figal

72

81

22

2,400,000

3,400,000

9,800

Independiente

Y/7

Right

3

2

CB

Frédéric Guilbert

72

81

21

2,400,000

3,700,000

16,000

Girondins de Bx

Y/3

Right

2

2

CB

Óscar Gil

72

81

21

2,400,000

*

4,500

Real Oviedo

-

Right

3

2

On loan from Athletic Bilbao

CB

Marc-Oliver Kempf

73

81

21

3,200,000

5,500,000

14,500

SC Freiburg

Y/2

Left

3

2

CB

Guillermo Maripán

73

81

22

3,200,000

6,000,000

5,400

Uni. Católica

Y/7

Right

2

2

Strength, power header

CB

Emiliano Velázquez

74

81

22

3,500,000

*

9,800

SC Braga

-

Right

3

2

On loan from Atlético Madrid

CB

Ivan Ordets

75

81

23

4,100,000

6,500,000

18,000

Shakhtar Donetsk

Y/7

Right

3

2

Strength

CB

Frederik Sørensen

75

81

24

4,100,000

7,000,000

17,500

Köln

Y/3

Right

3

2

Long throw-in, power header

CB

Martin Hinteregger

75

81

23

4,100,000

-

16,000

Augsburg

N/2

Left

3

2

Long shot taker

CB

Mamadou Fofana

60

80

18

275,000

-

1,400

Alanyaspor

N/3

Right

2

2

CB

Cameron Carter-Vickers

62

80

18

425,000

700,000

5,400

Spurs

Y/2

Right

3

2

CB

Regan Poole

63

80

18

500,000

850,000

6,700

Manchester Utd

Y/7

Right

3

2

CB

Jérôme Junior Onguéné

64

80

18

650,000

950,000

1,200

FCSM

Y/2

Right

3

2

CB

Wout Faes

64

80

18

650,000

-

2,600

RSC Anderlecht

N/2

Right

3

2

CB

Philipp Lienhart

65

80

19

825,000

1,400,000

12,500

Real Madrid

Y/3

Right

3

2

CB

Panagiotis Retsos

67

80

17

875,000

1,300,000

7,000

Olympiacos CFP

Y/2

Right

3

2

CB

Vukasin Jovanovic

65

80

20

900,000

1,600,000

8,700

Zenit

Y/4

Left

2

2

CB

Eirick Cabaco

65

80

21

900,000

-

3,300

ASNL

N/4

Right

2

2

CB

Ertuğrul Ersoy

68

80

19

1,100,000

1,600,000

4,500

Bursaspor

Y/2

Right

3

2

CB

Kévin N'Doram

67

80

20

1,100,000

1,600,000

15,500

AS Monaco

Y/4

Right

2

2

CB

Bubacarr Sanneh

66

80

21

1,100,000

1,800,000

2,200

AC Horsens

Y/1

Right

3

2

Power header

CB

Domingos Duarte

69

80

21

1,300,000

2,200,000

2,900

Belenenses

Y/3

Right

3

2

CB

Raúl Osorio

70

80

21

1,600,000

2,800,000

3,400

CD O'Higgins

Y/7

Right

3

2

CB

Birama Ndoye

70

80

22

1,600,000

2,800,000

9,500

FC Sion

Y/3

Right

3

2

Strength, power header

CB

Valber Huerta

70

80

22

1,600,000

-

6,300

Colo-Colo

N/2

Left

2

2

CB

Luka Krajnc

70

80

21

1,600,000

*

14,000

Sampdoria

-

Left

2

2

On loan from Cagliari

CB

Koray Günter

71

80

21

1,900,000

2,400,000

13,000

Galatasaray

Y/2

Right

3

2

Long passer

CB

Prince Désir Gouano

71

80

21

1,900,000

*

4,800

V. Guimarães

-

Right

2

2

On loan from Atalanta

CB

Alexander Barboza

71

80

21

1,900,000

*

5,500

Defensa

-

Right

3

2

On loan from River Plate

CB

Harry Maguire

72

80

23

2,300,000

2,500,000

16,000

Hull City

Y/1

Right

3

2

CB

Federico Barba

72

80

22

2,300,000

3,100,000

5,800

Empoli

Y/1

Left

2

2

CB

Alexis Pérez

72

80

22

2,300,000

4,300,000

2,300

Junior

Y/7

Left

2

2

CB

Fábio Cardoso

72

80

22

2,300,000

-

4,500

V. Setúbal

N/4

Right

3

2

CB

Pablo Iñiguez

72

80

22

2,300,000

*

5,800

Rayo Vallecano

-

Left

3

2

On loan from Villarreal CF

CB

Carlos Salcedo

73

80

22

3,700,000

*

34,500

Fiorentina

-

Right

3

2

On loan from Guadalajara

CB

Armando Izzo

75

80

24

4,000,000

6,000,000

19,500

Genoa

Y/3

Right

4

2

CB

Stefano Denswil

75

80

23

4,000,000

6,500,000

15,000

Club Brugge

Y/2

Left

4

2

Long throw-in

CB

Willi Orban

75

80

23

4,000,000

8,000,000

26,500

RB Leipzig

Y/3

Right

3

2

Power header

CB

Nicolas Isimat-Mirin

75

80

24

4,000,000

8,000,000

12,500

PSV

Y/3

Right

3

2

Thanks for reading! If you have any player recommendations of your own and have some ideas for the website, make sure you let me know in the comments below.

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